The tractor-trailer was turning onto Seneca School Road from Hartmann Road when its load shifted.

"A loaded garbage truck come around the bend. We're unsure of the cause at this time but it had rolled over onto the pickup truck," said Assistant Chief Dale Hall, of the Harmony Volunteer Fire Department.

Sky 4 video showed the back of the tractor-trailer resting on top of the pickup, which was pressed against a bent guardrail next to a hillside.

Two people were trapped -- one in each vehicle.

Family of the pickup truck driver identified him as James McNally, 32, of Jeannette.

McNally's legs were pinned, so the tractor-trailer had to be lifted to allow rescuers to pull him free. They could not approach from the passenger side because of the steep embankment.

"Minor extrication to get the driver of the semi out, and then we had quite a bit of work cut out for us to get the loaded trailer off the front of the truck that was pinning the driver's legs in," Hall said.

Paramedic Ron Sliker climbed into the truck to give McNally an IV and stayed with him for two hours while others worked to free him.

"I wanted to let him know that somebody was going to be there with him all day," Sliker told Pittsburgh's Action News 4. "The roof of our vehicle began to crush down from the weight of all of the stuff in the tractor-trailer, and our truck began to tip over the guardrail, and that got a little scary."

But Sliker refused to leave McNally.

"To me, being a paramedic is about helping people, and once I'm there, you're mine. You're my patient. You're my responsibility. And I can't give that up, no matter what it is," said Sliker.

Several local fire departments pitched in and helped with the rescue efforts by using heavy-duty airbags to lift the tractor-trailer.

"We were finally able to get the vehicle off, pull the pickup truck back and extricate the patient, who was conscious and speaking with us," Hall said.

McNally was said to be in good spirits and joking with firefighters. He was flown to a hospital after being pulled out of the truck.

"He's a very lucky man. I'm very grateful that his family is still going to have him around," said Sliker. "I'm just another one of the 911 people who are out there in everyone's community who will do the same thing."

McNally's family met with WTAE's Kelly Brennan outside of UPMC Presby while he underwent his first surgery.

His wife, Pam, said her husband was working today when the accident happened. Because the traffic backup was so extreme after the crash, she couldn't get to her husband and relied on constant phone calls from paramedics and his coworkers on scene.

"That was the worst phone call to ever get. You don’t expect that phone call from their employer," said Pam.

McNally's mother, Linda Dickson, said her son has a broken pelvis, hip, knee and damaged kidneys. He didn't have full feeling in his legs as of Monday night.

"We're hoping once these surgeries are done and repairs are made that maybe that will all get a little bit better for him," said Dickson.

Dickson said McNally is a wonderful father to two boys, ages 7 and 9. She is hoping he can do everything he used to do with the children.

As for the first responders and paramedic Sliker, Dickson and McNally are eternally grateful.

The driver of the tractor-trailer was able to climb out of the cab and was not injured. It took about six hours for crews to clear the wreckage and open the road again.